Watermark Issue 29.06: Parental Rights?

Your LGBTQ News Source.

March 17 - 30, 2022 • Issue 29.06

Advocates argue ‘Don’t Say Gay or Trans’ silences LGBTQ youth

LGBTQ comedy show to benefit The Center Orlando

Tampa Pride returns for 8th Celebration

DAYTONA BEACH • ORLANDO • TAMPA • ST. PETERSBURG • CLEARWATER • SARASOTA

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DEPARTMENTS 7 // PUBLISHER’S DESK

page

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8 // CENTRAL FL NEWS 10 // TAMPA BAY NEWS

This is a direct attack. It makes my job harder because I have to now keep things in the back of my head. I’ll have to come to work every day and decide, ‘Is there going to be a day that I put my foot down and fight to hang rainbow flags everywhere, or is today a day that I shut up and hide?’ It makes everything about my job more mentally taxing.

– KEVIN HANNA, AN OPENLY GAY 2ND GRADE TEACHER IN ORANGE COUNTY

13 // STATE NEWS 15 // NATION & WORLD NEWS 21 // TALKING POINTS 37 // EVENT PLANNER 39 // TAMPA BAY OUT + ABOUT 41 // CENTRAL FL OUT + ABOUT 42 // TAMPA BAY MARKETPLACE 43 // CENTRAL FL MARKETPLACE 46 // WEDDING BELLS ON THE COVER

page WALKING TALL: “RuPaul’s

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page PARENTAL

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RIGHTS?: Advocates

argue ‘Don’t Say Gay or Trans’ legislation silences LGBTQ youth.

WATERMARK ISSUE 29.06 // MARCH 17 - 30, 2022

PHOTO BY JAN H. ANDERSEN VIA ADOBE STOCK

SCAN QR CODE FOR

WATERMARKONLINE.COM

Drag Race” alum Aja LaBeija on authenticity and headlining Tampa Pride 2022.

MAKE ‘EM LAUGH

HOUSE PARTY

MAMA BEARINGS

DONE GOOD

page LGBTQ comedy show to benefit The Center Orlando.

page Tampa Pride holds eighth annual celebration.

page

page

Read It Online!

In addition to a Web site with daily LGBTQ updates, a digital version of each issue of the publication is made available on WatermarkOnline.com

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Sylvie Trevena returns with her latest viewpoint.

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Jakob Karr brings his Fringe Fest hit back to Orlando.

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PUBLISHER’S

Rick Todd PUBLISHER

Rick@WatermarkOnline.com

W

DESK

ATERMARK IS A COMPANY

that welcomes direct criticism. I use the word direct because it’s important to reach out directly to me, our editor-in-chief or our sales director if you have a legitimate complaint.

Write us a letter, send us an email or if you are old school like me, pick up the phone. Better yet, find me at an event and let’s talk about it.

When I first started at Watermark, I thought it was odd that we would run scathing letters to the editor in print. What kind of a company does that? I have since come to see the value in doing so.

In fact, I became the person making the call to run the letters, I became the person making the call to not delete some highly disparaging comments on our Facebook page and I became the person making the call not to engage in online arguments.

I believe Watermark is a product of and by this community.

I believe that the work we do is a vital service to this community.

Because of this, I don’t look at

myself as the owner of a business so much as the caretaker of this community project. That gives all of you the right and space to speak your mind about the work we do.

I value the truth. I value honesty.

I value integrity.

One complaint I hear often is how Watermark is too nice. We don’t attack enough; we don’t call people out enough. It is usually followed up by a very intriguing story of substance abuse, sexual harassment or fraudulently faking numbers to get more grant money.

Unfortunately, it comes with the caveat of “off the record” or “don’t quote me on this.” It’s hard to build a story on rumor, and without

the truth there is no story. Make no mistake, when someone steps forward we are here to listen. I am a true believer in this community and I believe it deserves great leadership. I am not afraid to call that out, and this paper has done that before.

We take our reporting here very seriously. We keep to the facts and we tell your story. We report the news, we don’t create the news.

You won’t see a news story with our opinion in the mix.

Fortunately for me, I get this page every other issue to do nothing but give my opinion.

Later in this issue you will read a methodical, in-depth account of HB 1557 by managing editor Ryan Williams-Jent. Here, you will read my opinion of it. HB 1557 is bullshit legislation. The kind of stupidity the LGBTQ community has come to expect from Florida.

I am someone who has benefited from a lesson on sexual orientation. In 1989-90 I attended Winter Park High School’s ninth grade center. I was struggling with my identity, hating who I was and hoping every day for some kind of clarity. A teacher gave me that gift.

She stood in front of the class one random day and said, “Today we are going to talk about gay people.”

And she did, for the entire class.

When that bell rang and class was over, my life was different. She didn’t groom me and she didn’t make me gay. She gave me answers and sparked a change in my life.

The thought of losing moments like that are disheartening.

To know me is to know I hate talking points, and supporters of HB 1557 have their talking points down. They will read that story and say it won’t be affected by the new law. They will point out the law only affects grades K-3, and they would be wrong. I used to believe that myself until I dug in a little more. It’s the part of the law that reads, “or in a manor that is not age-appropriate or

WATERMARK STAFF Owner & Publisher: Rick Todd • Ext. 110 Rick@WatermarkOnline.com Editor-in-Chief: Jeremy Williams • Ext. 106 Jeremy@WatermarkOnline.com

developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards” that has me concerned.

The other lame talking point is that the law refers to sexual orientation, not just gay. Am I to believe the lawmakers have a problem with the schools teaching Adam and Eve to a second grader?

This is next level arrogance.

It’s about as lame as “Let’s Go Brandon!”

It’s not clever or cute, and it doesn’t own the libs. It further perpetuates your inability to say what you mean. Speak the truth.

My instinct is to use the law against them. Equip parents with the information on how they can go after hetero-centric teaching in classrooms. I worry this would just

When will the outrage of this attack on LGBTQ youth be enough to bring 1 million people to march in Tallahassee?

hurt schools, not the law. Maybe that’s the real endgame, to destroy public school by letting parents bankrupt the system.

My hope is that our community is preparing for the long game. We need the rallies at blue city halls, student walkouts and targeted pressure on major corporations; but we need more. When will the outrage of this attack on LGBTQ youth be enough to bring 1 million people to march in Tallahassee?

When will it be enough to create a pool of viable candidates who will bring positive change locally and statewide?

We strive to bring you a variety of stories, your stories. I hope you enjoy this latest issue.

ORLANDO OFFICE Managing Editor: Ryan Williams-Jent • Ext. 302 Ryan@WatermarkOnline.com Creative Designer: Dylan Todd • Ext. 107 Dylan@WatermarkOnline.com Creative Designer: Kyler Mills • Ext. 301 Kyler@WatermarkOnline.com

Sales Director: Danny Garcia • Ext. 108 Danny@WatermarkOnline.com Senior Orlando Account Manager: Sam Callahan • Ext. 103 Sam@WatermarkOnline.com

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CONTRIBUTORS MELODY MAIA MONET has her own YouTube channel and is the VP of the board for Come Out With Pride Orlando. Page 17

SYLVIE TREVENA

is a proud, minivan-driving mother of four with a degree in behavioral health and Master’s in Business Administration with a nonprofit concentration. She loves art and horror movies. Page 19

TIFFANY RAZZANO

is the founder and president of Wordier Than Thou, a literary arts nonprofit that creates fun, engaging events for writers and readers. Page 46

SABRINA AMBRA, NATHAN BRUEMMER, SCOTTIE CAMPBELL, MIGUEL FULLER, DIVINE GRACE, HOLLY KAPHERR ALEJOS, JASON LECLERC, MELODY MAIA MONET, JERICK MEDIAVILLA, GREG STEMM, DR. STEVE YACOVELLI, MICHAEL WANZIE

PHOTOGRAPHY BRIAN BECNEL, NICK CARDELLO, BRUCE HARDIN, JAMARQUS MOSLEY, CHRIS STEPHENSON, LEE VANDERGRIFT

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CONTENTS of WATERMARK are protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publisher.

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Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles, advertising, or listing in WATERMARK is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such persons or members of such organizations.

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WATERMARK is not responsible for damages due to typographical errors, except for the cost of replacing ads created by WATERMARK that have such errors.

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central florida news

TOPGOLF TO HOST ONEPULSE BENEFIT, PLANTS 49 TREES TO HONOR PULSE VICTIMS Jeremy Williams

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RLANDO | Sports entertainment company Topgolf is partnering with onePULSE Foundation for a common ground event at its Lake Mary complex March 31.

The “onePULSE | Topgolf Celebrating Common Ground” will open the Lake Mary venue from 6-9 p.m. exclusively for event guests and will include “an exciting evening filled with a mixture of entertainment options beyond golf including premium wine, spirits and food created specifically for the event.”

As a part of this new partnership and to honor those 49 lives lost during the Pulse tragedy, Topgolf has planted 49 trees on its Lake Mary property which were donated by Baker Landscaping.

Single tickets to the event are $200 and a pair of tickets are $350. Proceeds from the event will benefit the National Pulse Memorial & Museum, education initiatives, 49 Legacy Scholarship program and operations.

For more information and to purchase tickets, go to onePULSEFoundation.org/events.

COME OUT WITH PRIDE TO HOST ADULT-ONLY PROM Jeremy Williams

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RLANDO | Come Out With Pride wants to give those who didn’t have the ideal prom experience a do over with an adult-only Pride Prom.

“We deserve a do-over where we can be who we want to be, bring who we want to bring, and freely wear what we want to wear,” said Tatiana Quiroga, COWP’s executive director, in a press release.

Pride Prom will be an in-person prom event for LGBTQ adults 21 and over, held April 16 from 8 p.m.-12 a.m. at the Orlando Museum of Art. The prom theme will be “Express Yourself.”

“This event is geared toward the LGBTQIA+ community – especially those who identify as trans and non-binary,” COWP stated in its release. “It will be a safer space where each person can be their authentic selves and bring dates and allies that they perhaps couldn’t for high school prom.”

The Pride Prom will include dancing, entertainment, a photo booth, a VIP experience and more.

Tickets are $40 for general admission and $150 for the VIP experience.

For more information and to get your prom tickets, go to ComeOutWithPride.org/Prom.

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COMICS FOR ALL: Gregory

Metts hosts an all-LGBTQ comedy showcase at Improv Orlando. PHOTO

COURTESY METTS

Make ‘em laugh LGBTQ comedy show to benefit The Center Orlando’s Pride Pantry Jeremy Williams

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RLANDO | Rainbow Comedy, an all-LGBTQ comedic showcase, will be on the Fat Fish Blue stage at the Improv Comedy Theater & Restaurant in Orlando March 26.

The free night of stand-up comedy will feature eight LGBTQ comics from the Central Florida area performing all while raising awareness and donations for the LGBT+ Center Orlando’s Pride Pantry.

Gregory Metts, an openly gay comic in Orlando who will be hosting the event, says he put together Rainbow Comedy because when you are LGBTQ in the world of comedy you don’t always get the same opportunities as other comics.

“I’m a flamboyant gay guy and when I go to open mics I feel like an outcast sometimes,” he says.

“I decided I wanted to create shows where I could have LGBTQ comics on. I feel like some really funny LGBTQ comics get bypassed

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

all the time so I wanted to have shows that include them.”

Metts, who has been doing stand up since 2018, saw the Improv Orlando was providing opportunities for free admission shows and reached out to get an LGBTQ show set up. He then reached out to LGBTQ comics that he has seen perform and who he says are genuinely very funny. The show will welcome Lee Cohen, Alex Venci, Sareth Ney, Mary Kay Biker Chick, Carla Perez Torres, Bruno Mario and Tatiana Davis to the stage. Metts also wanted to use the show as a way to raise awareness for a local LGBTQ nonprofit.

“I thought how cool would it be if we could put a show together and have someone benefit from it,” Metts says, “and I liked the idea of The Center Orlando being the one who would benefit. I thought it would be a great idea to raise awareness for the Pride Pantry and let people know about it, people who may not know about it because it is pretty new.”

The Center’s Pride Pantry, which officially launched in August 2021, started as a pop-up

during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as the team at The Center saw a need for a food pantry service. “[The pantry] is stocked thanks to monetary donations and donations from people in the community of nonperishables and hygiene products,” says Danny Garcia, VP of the LGBT+ Center board.

Attendance to the Rainbow Comedy show is free but you are asked to register. Admission will be granted on a first come, first serve basis so do not be late. And while there is no cost for tickets, Metts says they will be taking donations of nonperishable food items or gift cards to any grocery store at the door. While all nonperishable food items are appreciated and accepted, items such as peanut butter, tuna, dry beans, rice and breakfast cereal go very quickly.

“Thanks to fundraisers like the Rainbow Comedy show, as well as individuals and community partners like Kroger’s, the LGBT+ Center Orlando is able to continue to provide this incredible and needed service to the community,” Garcia says.

The Rainbow Comedy show will be March 26 at the Improv Orlando. Doors open at 6 p.m., showtime is at 7 p.m. To register, go to Eventbrite.com/e/274643635507.

The Center’s Pride Pantry is currently open two days a week: Mondays and Thursdays from 1-5 p.m. Hours are subject to change based on supplies.

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tampa bay news

METRO LAUNCHES PEDIATRIC CARE Ryan Williams-Jent

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AMPA BAY | Metro Inclusive Health has announced that pediatric care is now being offered at their offices in St. Petersburg and Tampa.

Metro has served Tampa Bay since 1992, growing into the second largest LGBTQ-focused health and community center in North America. They offer more than 100 programs and services from locations in St. Petersburg, Tampa, Clearwater and New Port Richey.

“In our 30-year history, we’ve grown from one service to over 100, providing a centralized approach to individual healthcare needs,” Metro Inclusive Health Chief Marketing & Experience Officer Brian Bailey says.

“Adding pediatrics is a natural fit for us as we look to serve more of our community.”

Bailey says pediatric care has long been requested from Metro’s LGBTQ patients who are parents, as well as by parents of LGBTQ youth who participate in community programming. The new services include newborn care, breastfeeding support, well-child visits, sports physicals, immunizations, dental fluoride treatments, care for chronic medical conditions, sick visits and referrals.

“As it’s a new service, we’re easing into pediatrics by notifying current clients and patients first and the response has been strong,” Bailey says. “Among our new patients are trans teens who have not been able to find adequate care – literally anywhere.”

Metro notes that regular checkups are important to monitor a child’s health as well as for their physical, emotional and social development. The organization explains that pediatric, well-child and adolescent visits are “your opportunity to learn the best ways to help your child grow and form bonds based on respect, trust, honest communication and understanding of your family’s culture and traditions.”

As “parenting is a full-time job – so is pediatric care,” they also note. That’s why Metro promises to offer priority access for sick visits and an after-hours hotline.

TeleHealth visits remain readily available as well.

Metro accepts most major insurances and offers income-based, sliding-scale fees and self-pay options.

Potential and current patients are invited to learn about their pediatric services by scheduling a prenatal tour with a provider.

“An important part of preparing for parenthood is choosing a pediatrician,” Metro notes. “There’s no greater peace of mind than knowing that you’ve made the right choice for you and your baby.”

“By offering so many services under one roof, our linkage experts are able to connect parents with a multitude of affordable resources for young children now and as they mature,” Metro also advises. “Equally, we provide services in a welcoming and accepting environment regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. All are welcome. “ To learn more about Metro’s pediatric and other services, call 727-321-3854 and visit MetroTampaBay.org.

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TAMPA PROUD:

Attendees enjoy Tampa Pride 2021, the largest public event ever held in Ybor City. PHOTO

BY DYLAN TODD

House Party Tampa Pride returns for 8th year Ryan Williams-Jent

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AMPA | Tampa Pride will return for its eighth celebration March 26, a full day of activities and entertainment designed to unite the LGBTQ community.

An estimated 80,000 people attended Tampa Pride in 2021, making it the largest public event ever held in Ybor. It was also billed as the nation’s first in-person Pride celebration last year.

“We are proud to be in our eighth year,” Tampa Pride President Carrie West says. With entries for this year’s parade having sold out, he expects Tampa Pride will continue to grow in 2022.

This year’s theme is “The House of Tampa Pride,” which pays homage to the ballroom community.

“We chose this theme to accomplish two goals: to celebrate the communities that fought to afford us the rights which we have today and to provide some perspective,” Tampa Pride Vice President Trevor James says.

“There is power in numbers and when we stand together,

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that’s when our light shines the brightest.”

A total of six individuals and one organization will be honored as grand marshals this year.

They will lead the 2022 Diversity Parade, scheduled to begin March 26 at 4 p.m. along 7th Ave. Rich Kerin will serve as a grand marshal, Empath Partners in Care Executive Director Joy Winheim and her wife Lael will serve as the grand couple, Gay Men’s Chorus of Tampa Bay President Bill Kanouff will be recognized as a community trailblazer and former Tampa Mayor Dick Greco will serve as the LGBTQA Recognized Community Leader. Metro Inclusive Health is Tampa Pride’s recognized organization.

The organization will also pay tribute to the late Gerald J. Mayes, the honorary grand marshal known as drag legend Tiffani Middlesexx. The performer will be recognized with a special presentation during the parade.

Official Tampa Pride events will begin before then at MCC Tampa, Mayes’ LGBTQ-affirming church which has served Tampa Bay for more than 50 years. An interfaith service will be held March 21 at 7 p.m.

Tampa Pride’s VIP Sponsors Party will follow March 24 from 6-10 p.m. at Hotel Alba before Tampa Pride weekend kicks off with Vivica’s Pink Secret: The Mini-Ball. The ticketed event is guaranteed to “bring out the rawness of ballroom” at The Cuban Club.

This year’s street festival will follow March 26, beginning at 10:45 a.m. with a food truck alley and wide variety of vendors. It will also include an area for artisans and health and wellness organizations.

Entertainment will be held in and outside of The Cuban Club from 12-4 p.m., featuring local fan favorites and celebrity grand marshal Eric Himan.

Tampa Pride will subsequently present the second annual Pride at Night from 7-11 p.m. at The Cuban Club. Aja LaBeija and Kandy Muse from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will headline. Read our interview with LaBeija on page 31 to hear directly from the performer.

Tampa Pride is working diligently to move the LGBTQ community forward, West says.

He and the board encourage supporters to join them for events beginning March 21.

For more information about Tampa Pride, upcoming events and more, visit TampaPride.org and pick up the official Tampa Pride guide in Tampa Bay print editions of Watermark or view the digital edition at WatermarkOnline.com.

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state news

DISNEY APOLOGIZES TO LGBTQ EMPLOYEES, PAUSES POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS Ryan Williams-Jent

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alt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek apologized to LGBTQ employees March 11 for the company’s response to HB 1557, the “Parental Rights in Education” legislation widely known as Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” bill.

Chapek addressed colleagues “but especially our LGBTQ+ community” in a company-wide email, reflecting on criticism of his messaging regarding the bill. He also announced the company will pause political donations in Florida.

“Thank you to all who have reached out to me sharing your pain, frustration and sadness over the company’s response to the Florida ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill,” Chapek wrote. “Speaking to you, reading your messages and meeting with you have helped me

better understand how painful our silence was.

“It is clear that this is not just an issue about a bill in Florida, but instead yet another challenge to basic human rights,” he continued. “You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down.

I am sorry.”

The CEO first addressed HB 1557 March 7, one day before its passage in the Florida Senate. It was passed in the House Feb. 24.

Noting that he met with a group of Disney’s LGBTQ leaders March 4, Chapek said in his initial statement that “One common theme was disappointment that the company has not issued a public statement condemning the legislation.” Disney’s support of lawmakers who had supported the legislation was also called into question.

“That disappointment was compounded by the fact that, while not perfect, our company

has a long history of supporting the LGBTQ+ community – and in fact, has played an important role in the personal journeys of so many of our employees,” he continued. “I want to be crystal clear: I and the entire leadership team unequivocally stand in support of our LGBTQ+ employees, their families, and their communities.”

Chapek subsequently condemned the legislation March 9, insisting Disney had been “opposed to the bill from the outset.”

He also noted that Disney’s longstanding relationships with lawmakers who they’d donated to led them to hope for “a better outcome.”

“I called Gov. DeSantis this morning to express our disappointment and concern that if the legislation becomes law, it could be unfairly used to target gay, lesbian, nonbinary and transgender kids and families,”

Chapek shared afterwards. “The governor heard our concerns and agreed to meet with me and LGBTQ+ members of our senior team in Florida to discuss ways to address them.”

A spokesperson confirmed the governor had not changed his position on the matter. On March 10, he attacked Disney directly.

“Companies that have made a fortune catering to families should understand that parents don’t want this injected into their kid’s kindergarten classroom,” DeSantis said.

“Our policies will be based on the best interest of Florida citizens, not the musing of woke corporations,” he added.

Disney also pledged to give $5 million to LGBTQ-serving organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign which declined the donation until Disney took “meaningful action” to combat such legislation.

“HRC encourages Disney, and all employers, to continue to fight for their employees – many of whom bravely spoke out to say their CEO’s silence was unacceptable – and the LGBTQ+ community by working with us and state and local LGBTQ+ groups to ensure these dangerous anti-equality proposals that harm LGBTQ+ families and kids have no place in Florida,” HRC shared.

Chapek also announced March 11 that Disney is increasing its “support for advocacy groups to combat similar legislation in other states” and that the company is “hard at work creating a new framework for our political giving.” Donations in Florida are paused pending the review.

“I truly believe we are an infinitely better and stronger company because of our LGBTQ+ community,” Chapek closed his letter, available in full at WatermarkOnline.com.

God loves all people.

So do we.

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We have a place for you and you are invited.

Join us in person or online Sundays 9:30am | Modern 11:00am | Traditional FirstChUrChorlando.org

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nation+world news

CHILE MARRIAGE EQUALITY LAW TAKES EFFECT Michael K. Lavers of The Washington Blade, Courtesy of The National LGBT Media Association

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wo gay men became the first same-sex couple to legally marry in Chile March 10.

Javier Silva and Jaime Nazar, who have been together for seven years, married shortly after 7:30 a.m. local time at the Chilean Civil Registry and Identification Service office in the Providencia neighborhood of the country’s capital of Santiago as their two young children watched.

Justice Minister Hernán Larraín, Deputy Human Rights Secretary Lorena Recabarren, the directors of two Chilean LGBTQ rights groups — long-time Movimiento de Integración y Liberación Homosexual (Movilh) Director Rolando Jiménez and Fundación Iguales President Isabel Amor — and Hunter T. Carter, a U.S.-based lawyer who advocates for marriage equality throughout Latin America, are among those who also attended.

Consuelo Morales and Pabla Heuser, a lesbian couple who has been together for 17 years, married in the Civil Registry office less than half an hour after Silva and Nazar tied the knot.

“It is a terrific moment for us as a couple,” Silva told the Blade during a brief interview immediately after he and Nazar married. “This act will be felt across Chile.”

Outgoing President Sebastián Piñera late last year signed the marriage equality law after the Chilean Congress passed it.

Movilh in 2012 filed a lawsuit with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on behalf of three same-sex couples who were seeking marriage rights.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights that same year ruled in favor of Karen Atala, a Chilean judge who lost custody of her three daughters to her ex-husband because she is a lesbian. The landmark decision established a legal precedent that has been used to advance marriage equality throughout Latin America.

Same-sex couples in Chile have been able to enter into civil unions since 2015.

The government of former President Michelle Bachelet — who is now the U.N. high commissioner for human rights — in 2016 said it would introduce bills to extend marriage and adoption rights to same-sex couples as part of an agreement between it, Movilh and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Movilh in 2020

withdrew from the agreement after it accused Piñera of not doing enough to advance marriage equality in Chile.

Piñera last June announced his support of the issue. He met with Silva and Nazar at the Presidential Palace in Santiago after they married.

Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Colombia are among the other Latin American countries in which same-sex couples can legally marry.

Good news continued for the local LGBTQ community March 11, when Chilean President Gabriel Boric was sworn in.

Boric, a former congressman and student protest movement leader who supports LGBTQ rights, last December defeated José Antonio Kast, a far-right former congressman, in the second round of Chile’s presidential elections.

The 36-year-old native of Punta Arenas is the youngest president in Chilean history.

The government’s Education Minister Marco Antonio Ávila and Sports Minister Alexandra Benado are also openly gay and lesbian respectively. Boric and his government took office a day after Chile’s marriage equality law took effect, when Emilia Schneider also became the first openly transgender woman sworn into the Chilean Congress.

support legislation that would prohibit classroom lessons about sexual orientation or gender identity in elementary school, with 61% of GOP identifiers supporting it compared to only 20% of Democrats and 35% of independents.

The polling was conducted within days of the Florida Legislature giving final approval to H.B. 1557, legislation that is titled “Parental Rights in Education“ but widely labeled as the “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” bill, which would bar Florida schools from “instruction” about sexual orientation or gender identity in grades K-3 and otherwise not at “age-appropriate” levels.

The ABC News/Ipsos poll found; “Support for this type of legislation increases with age, but doesn’t reach majority support in any age group. Among those 65 and older, 43% support the ban, while it falls to about a third among those under the age of 50.”

ABC News also took note that respondents who identify as LGBTQ overwhelmingly oppose this type of legislation, at 87%.

The poll oversampled people who identify as LGBTQ, with their responses then weighted to match their correct proportion in the general population. Among those who do not identify as LGBTQ, a majority (59%) also oppose the legislation.

POLL: 6 IN 10 OPPOSE ‘DON’T SAY GAY OR TRANS’ Brody Levesque of The Los Angeles Blade, Courtesy of The National LGBT Media Association

A

new ABC News/Ipsos poll published March 13 found that more than 6 in 10 Americans oppose legislation that would prohibit classroom lessons about sexual orientation or gender identity in elementary school.

According to ABC News, 62% of Americans oppose such legislation, while 37% support it.

The results found that Republicans are more likely to

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IN OTHER NEWS DETAINED BASKETBALL STAR’S WIFE SPEAKS OUT The wife of Brittney Griner, whose detainment by Russian authorities on drug charges was made public this month, issued a statement March 5. Russian officials detained the openly gay Phoenix Mercury player and two-time Olympic gold medalist at an airport outside Moscow and have been holding her in custody. “Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me regarding my wife’s safe return from Russia,” Cherelle Griner wrote.

“Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated.”

Russian officials say inspectors found vape cartridges that contained hashish oil in Griner’s luggage.

GUATEMALA PASSES MARRIAGE EQUALITY BAN Guatemalan lawmakers approved a bill March 8 that would formally ban same-sex marriage. The “Law for the Protection of Life and the Family” was approved by a 101-8 vote margin, which also says a woman who has an abortion would face up to 10 years in prison.

Visibles, a local LGBTQ group, described the bill as “a law that promotes hate, violence, disqualification and dehumanization of those who dare to demand a more free and just world.” President Alejandro Giammattei has said he would veto the bill because it violates international treaties.

TEXAS JUDGE HALTS ANTI-TRANS INQUIRIES Texas Judge Amy Clark Meachum ordered a preliminary statewide injunction March 11 to block the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) from investigations of parents and families of transgender youth. She had previously granted a temporary restraining order to block DFPS from investigating the plaintiffs of a lawsuit brought by Lambda Legal and ACLU of Texas. The plaintiffs sought this emergency relief after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a directive stating that providing gender-affirming care is a form of child abuse and DFPS announced they would follow the governor’s directive. The lawsuit names Abbott, DFPS Commissioner Jaime Masters, and DFPS as defendants.

LGBTQ ACTIVIST MURDERED IN AZERBAIJAN Avaz Shikhmammadov-Hafizli, a 24-year-old journalist and LGBTQ activist was found stabbed to death last month near Baku, according to the Attorney General’s Office and Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Attorney General’s Office said Amrulla Gulaliyev, his cousin was arrested for his killing.

LGBTQ Azerbaijani sources have reported that Gulaliyev murdered his cousin as a so-called family honor killing.

According to local reports, a religious cleric described members of LGBTQ community as “filth” and said same-sex couples engaging in intercourse should be sentenced to death in January.

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and Vegeterian Cuisine Greek, Mediterranean, viewpoint

Melody Maia Monet

TRANS OF THOUGHT Trans people need a little love

A

S I WRITE THIS, THE

so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill has passed the Florida Senate and is on the desk of the governor.

I had initially planned to write this column about how the bill should have been more accurately nicknamed the “Don’t Say Trans or Gay Bill” and that the erasure of trans people from the nom de guerre given to it by the opposition, whether intentional or not, was symbolic of how cisgender gay people have all too often erased trans people from the struggle for LGBTQIA+ rights.

That contrary to the popular belief of mostly cis gay people, the phrase “gay” did not cover everyone in the queer community and the mention of trans people shouldn’t have been sidelined for the sake of a pithy slogan. I was going to bring up how Sylvia Rivera expressed the same dismay at trans erasure in her address at the 1973 Christopher Street Liberation Day Rally, and was booed so soundly by the gay audience, she went home and attempted suicide. I wanted to then express my disappointment at the great efforts Florida LGBTQIA+ nonprofits put into the Rally for our Rights at Orlando City Hall in comparison to the efforts put forth when legislation primarily affected trans people, and that the rally saw 10 times the attendance seen at similar trans rallies. I was going to wrap up with a pointed “Happy Trans Day of Visibility!” since TDoV is at the end of March, but you can consider this paragraph the TL:DR version of that column that will never be. You’re welcome.

I do still strongly believe all this to be true, but as much as I’d like to believe my words might motivate some of you to do more than offer your “thoughts and prayers” to the plight of the transgender community, I have too often been met with defensiveness. I am just too exhausted right now to fake a patient smile as yet another cis gay person refuses to be held accountable. After all, the world is in a pretty terrible state. We are just emerging from a pandemic, the cost of living is skyrocketing, Florida and states all across the country are passing anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation with a particular focus on trans people, Disney is complicating its relationship with the local queer community, anti-abortion legislation is finding a foothold and of course Russia is committing unspeakable atrocities in Ukraine. That’s a lot of awfulness and I don’t have the spoons.

As a trans person with a tenuous grasp on my mental health at the best of times, I am not ashamed to say that my suicidal ideation has kicked into overdrive these days, exacerbated in particular by the constant drumbeat of transphobic news stories, social media and personal interactions.

It is a rare day where I don’t wish I could just gently fade away into nothingness and escape the pain of trauma and hate. It probably doesn’t help that I am between therapists now that my old one has left her local clinic, and my antidepressants haven’t been enough on their own to keep the wolves fully at bay.

I am doing my best to survive, but unfortunately as a trans person, I can’t find relief in those spaces where cis gay people retreat to feel safest. There is no place beyond the occasional trans meetup where I can feel completely accepted and experience the support of unconditional love and

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understanding. Just as I dread the predictable backlash in response to pointing out how I feel erased as a trans person by “Don’t Say Gay” when I hear it spoken by everyone from local politicians to “Saturday Night Live’s” lesbian cast member Kate McKinnon,

booster in these tough times but divorced from the protest origins of Pride and without the historical trans exclusionary baggage of the gay clubs and bars. An event that was also designed from the ground up to be explicitly trans inclusive so that trans people could feel

nonbinary.” Symbols matter.

Words matter. Stating “Don’t Say Trans or Gay” matters.

It is my hope that Pride Prom becomes an annual tradition. I think our queer community has a real need for an uplifting event like it. And I also hope that it retains its emphasis on

I dread what might happen when I walk into a club or step onto the field at a queer sports league as a trans woman. I’ve been subjected to too much transphobia in those contexts and spaces to simply relax.

It is with these things in mind that I approached my fellow board members at Come Out With Pride with the idea of hosting a Pride Prom. I saw a need for an event that could be a morale

free to let their hair down.

To that end, and to signal trans inclusivity, I asked for the trans flag colors to be included in the official Pride Prom graphic in addition to the hues of the traditional rainbow flag. And in case people didn’t take note of those trans colors, I asked that the event be described as “geared toward our LGBTQIA+ community,” but also “especially those of us who identify as trans and

trans inclusivity until the day it becomes no longer necessary. May that day of greater understanding come soon. See you all on April 16 at The Orlando Museum of Art for Pride Prom!

Symbols matter. Words matter. Stating ‘Don’t Say Trans or Gay’ matters.

Melody Maia Monet has her own trans lesbian themed YouTube channel at YouTube.com/MelodyMaia and is the vice president of the board for Come Out With Pride Orlando. To find more information on Pride Prom, visit ComeOutWithPride.org/prom.

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viewpoint

Sylvie Trevena, MBA

MAMA BEARINGS Season of Change

A

S THE PARENT OF

four, I have considered myself relatively blessed not to have athletic kids. I say this with more than a hint of sarcasm, but as a single parent, those activities, practices and games tend to take up a lot of time.

Sure, over the years my kids had dabbled in activities; one year of Cub Scouts, half a year of gymnastics and even a semester of martial arts.

Whatever my kids love and show an interest in, I am happy to make happen.

In the case of my youngest son Jake last year, he wanted to play soccer. He wants to wear “soccer clothes” which include his favorite player’s jersey (Lionel Messi) and literally practices before and after school.

As a sixth grader, we knew the chances of him making the team were challenging, as he had never played before and there are two more grades above him that deserve to play too. I was a wreck worrying about if he would be disappointed through the try-out process, until a larger issue arose. Governor Ron DeSantis helped champion legislation last year saying the transgender girls could not play on sports teams aligning with their gender identity.

This attack against trans kids was widely opposed but still signed into law. My youngest is a transgender boy, so he fits into the gray area that this ill-written legislation created, something that became clear when we were told he could play soccer if he made the cut – but only on the girls’ team.

The day I received the call that my baby boy’s dreams of playing soccer at his school might be over is a blur.

I went through the normal range of emotions – sadness, anger, shock and much more – and after discussions with the school, administration and county staff, Jake was “allowed” to play soccer for the boys’ team. I had to let him know there might be an issue because of the timing and that conversation was one of the hardest I have had yet with him.

We can all can say that we have had moments in our lives that really define who we are, and this was one for our family. It wasn’t the first time I have had to advocate for my children and certainly won’t be the last I will need to advocate for Jake.

This and other anti-LGBTQ legislation being passed across the country is horrifying and seems to target transgender children and adolescents. If my child was a transgender girl, she would have no way of playing sports in the state of Florida on the home team at school. I know children that played sports for years before transitioning and this is no longer a part of their life.

I know not everyone thinks about banning trans kids from sports, and I also know that before my baby talked to us about his true identity, I was not very knowledgeable about transgender individuals.

Many of us learn from experience, and life tends to really teach us some days more than others.

Through this process I learned that transgender children who want to participate in sports have to undergo extra steps to play in Florida, like submitting (so much) paperwork that their cisgender counterparts are not required to. I am not talking about an extra form, I am talking about multiple documents from doctors, therapists and the child themselves.

This is under the Gender Identity Policy (4.3) for our

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state and once submitted, the child must go through the “FHSAA Gender Identity Review Process.” It is the most discriminatory paperwork I have encountered yet on our family’s journey with Jake.

The child is asked to

all shed and pain this has caused our family. I was even told at a certain point that Jake could only practice on the boys’ team but would have to then play on girls’ team because he is “biologically female.”

I cannot imagine if he was

some games and at others he was benched – but when the season ended recently, I saw my youngest happier and healthier, living a dream he had set as a goal for himself.

The season was life changing not just for Jake

Even having some of these conversations with a transgender kid seems like a form of abuse. provide a written statement “affirming the consistent identity and expression to which the student self-relates” and a written verification is also required from the child’s health care professional. Again, this only pertains to transgender boys wanting to play sports because transgender girls are simply not allowed.

I have struggled to find how to speak about what happened, the tears we

not allowed to play, but it is clear transgender girls have even less athletic options in a process that is designed for failure. The hurdles students must jump over are not easy to go through. Even having some of these conversations with a transgender kid seems like a form of abuse.

I was at every soccer game. All my kids attended every one of them, and at most we had a huge cheering section for Jake. He played

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but for our entire family. Our home has soccer stuff all over it, our yard looks like a training center for soccer players, and we’re also printing some photos from Jake’s games to frame and display. Today and always, I couldn’t be prouder to be his soccer mom.

Sylvie Trevena is a proud mom of four with eclectic interests who holds a BS in Behavioral Healthcare and an MBA.

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talking points And for our LGBTQ+ Americans, let’s finally get the bipartisan Equality Act to my desk. The onslaught of state laws targeting transgender Americans and their families is wrong. As I said last year, especially to our younger transgender Americans, I will always have your back as your president, so you can be yourself and reach your God-given potential.

— PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN, DURING HIS STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS MARCH 1

STATES

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH ADDRESSES SAM ELLIOTT’S COMMENTS ABOUT ‘POWER OF THE DOG’

O

SCAR-NOMINATED ACTOR BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH responded to a question during a BAFTA event about homophobic comments made by “A Star is Born” actor Sam Elliott regarding Cumberbatch’s film “The Power of the Dog.” Elliott, while a guest on the “WTF with Marc Maron” podcast, said the film was a “piece of shit” and that there are “all these allusions to homosexuality throughout the fucking movie.” Cumberbatch responded, saying he hadn’t listened to the podcast so it would be unfair of him to comment in detail, but added in regard to his character that “this is a very specific case of repression.” “The more we look under the hood of toxic masculinity and try to discover the root causes of it, the bigger chances we have of dealing with it when it arises with our children.”,” Cumberbatch said. “The Power of the Dog,” a western that tells the story of a closeted gay rancher who torments his brother’s new wife and her son, has been nominated for 12 Academy Awards.

JONATHAN GROFF, BEN ALDRIDGE CAST IN NEW M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN FILM

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SEE GAY PEOPLE!” It has been announced that openly gay actors Jonathan Groff (“Hamilton,” “Looking,” “The Matrix Resurrections”) and Ben Aldridge (“Pennyworth,” “Fleabag”) have both been cast in M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming film “Knock on the Cabin.” Few details have been released for the Shyamalan flick other than it is a thriller being produced by Universal Pictures, but with two openly gay actors cast could the film have an LGBTQ theme? The film, which Shyamalan will write, direct and produce, will also star Dave Bautista, Rupert Grint and Nikki Amuka-Bird. “Knock at the Cabin” is set to release in theaters Feb. 3, 2023.

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NICKY DOLL TO HOST ’DRAG RACE FRANCE’

NLYFANS IS BRANCHING OUT ITS CREATIVE FUND with a new competition surrounding fashion designers to be judged by stylist Law Roach, designer Maeve Reilly and make-up artist Sir John. The Creative Fund Fashion Edition looks to support up-and-coming fashion designers, creators and stylists in the next iteration of its program. Those who want to enter the competition can submit their designs in an online application. The winner will receive $50,000 towards their fashion career and be mentored by designer Rebecca Minkoff. The OnlyFans Creative Fund was developed to support creatives in different genres and help support their future. The inaugural fund launched in 2021 focused on music artists.

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ICKY DOLL, WHO APPEARED IN THE 12TH SEASON OF “RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE,” has been tapped to host the international spinoff of the massively popular series titled “Drag Race France.” Doll, a 30-year-old drag queen from Marseille, France was the first French queen to compete on the U.S. version of the show, coming in 11th place. Doll will sit at the judges’ table alongside French columnist Daphné Bürki and European DJ Kiddy Smile. Doll is the second “Drag Race” alum to host a spin-off of the series. Season 11 finalist Brooke Lynn Hytes has hosted two seasons of Canada’s “Drag Race” since 2020. “Drag Race France” is set to air later this spring.

BILLS INTO STATE LEGISLATURES IN

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Ending the HIV epidemic

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Advocates argue ‘Don’t Say Gay or Trans’ silences LGBTQ youth

W

Ryan Williams-Jent

ITH THE EYES OF THE NATION ON

PHOTO BY JEREMY WILLIAMS

Florida, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed the state’s first explicitly anti-LGBTQ bill since 1997 into law on June 1, 2021, the first day of Pride Month. The “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act” singled out transgender youth.

More specifically, it banned transgender girls from participating in school sports that align with their gender identity. The law was challenged in federal court by the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization, but the Human Rights Campaign’s case has been stayed pending the decision in another of Florida’s challenges to uphold transgender rights.

Equality Florida, the state’s largest LGBTQ-focused civil rights organization, had organized against the law from its inception. The bill’s passage was among the reasons they likened Florida’s subsequent legislative session that began

in January and ended March 11 to “the most dangerous 60 days in our state.”

“Florida lawmakers who congratulated themselves last year for passing the state’s first explicitly anti-LGBTQ bill in 24 years have now staked their political ambitions on a slate of anti-LGBTQ, anti-democratic bills,” Equality Florida noted. Among their concerns were bills introduced in each chamber of the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature, Senate Bill 1834 and House Bill 1557.

Christened “Parental Rights in Education,” SB 1834 and HB 1557 were introduced in January. While language evolved throughout debate,

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

they sought to limit the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools at certain grade levels – prompting LGBTQ advocates to coin the measure Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” bill.

“Our community won’t go back in the closet and we won’t be erased [but HB 1557] would ban discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grades,” Equality Florida first detailed their position. “The bill’s vague language appears to be designed to attack support systems in schools for LGBTQ youth to be themselves.”

While activists of every age rallied in Tallahassee and around the state, HB 1557 passed in the House by a vote of 69-47 Feb. 24. That paved the way for a 22-17 passage in the Senate March 8.

The bill was subsequently sent to the governor’s desk.

Since then, advocates have advised that the fight for LGBTQ students in Florida is far from over – vowing to fight for silenced youth throughout the state.

CONTINUED ON PG. 27 | uu |

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| uu | Parental Rights?

FROM PG.23

PARENTAL RIGHTS?

T

he fight against “Parental Rights in Education” began not long after its introduction in the Florida Senate and House.

Senator Dennis Baxley of Florida’s District 12 filed SB 1834 Jan. 7.

Baxley was elected to the Senate in 2016. He committed to fight for “conservative values.”

HB 1557 was subsequently filed Jan. 11 by the Judiciary Committee, Education and Employment Committee and Rep. Joe Harding, its chief sponsor who represents Florida’s District 22.

The conservative Republican was elected in 2020 and noted “Florida’s education system should do right by every single student it serves.”

It’s something HB 1557’s detractors agreed with.

LGBTQ advocates argue that because the bill “prohibits classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels,” it does the opposite for LGBTQ students. The Trevor Project, the world’s largest LGBTQ youth-serving suicide prevention and mental health organization, shared March 8 that it poses significant risks.

According to the organization, youth who learned about LGBTQ issues in the classroom had 23% lower odds of reporting a suicide attempt in the past year. Two-thirds of LGBTQ youth also told the organization in a recent survey that state laws restricting the rights of LGBTQ youth – like Florida’s “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act” – have already had a negative impact on their mental health.

HB 1557’s supporters maintain that it is “an act relating to parental rights in education,” which is how its text begins. It will require “district school boards to adopt procedures that comport with certain provisions of law for notifying student’s parents of specified information” and requires “such procedures to reinforce the fundamental right of parents to make decisions regarding the upbringing and control of their children.”

It also prohibits school districts from adopting policies and procedures that prohibit personnel from notifying parents “about specified information,” ensuring parental notification is made “in critical decisions affecting student’s mental, emotional, or physical well-being.”

RALLY FOR OUR RIGHTS: Equality Florida Press Secretary Brandon Wolf speaks at Orlando’s “Rally for Our Collective Rights” Feb. 26. PHOTO BY JEREMY WILLIAMS Furthermore, HB 1557 notes that “classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”

Advocates argue that because of its vague language, HB 1557 poses a risk not only to LGBTQ students at every level, but LGBTQ teachers and same-sex parents as well.

That’s because it allows parents to sue school districts and instructors if they believe the measure’s provisions have been violated.

“The Florida state legislature is playing a dangerous political game with the health and safety of LGBTQ+ kids,” HRC Senior Counsel and State Legislative Director Cathryn M. Oakley summarizes.

“The existence of LGBTQ+ people across Florida is not up for debate.”

“DON’T SAY GAY OR TRANS”

According to Equality Florida Press Secretary Brandon Wolf, the “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” bill “earned its moniker because the language on the page seeks to

erase LGBTQ people.” He notes that while supporters of HB 1557 say it doesn’t harm LGBTQ Floridians, “the language of the bill says otherwise.”

“It targets LGBTQ parents,” he says. “Stigmatizes LGBTQ educators.

And would further isolate LGBTQ young people.”

That’s why the organization and others, backed by lawmakers, students and religious groups, say they mobilized in Tallahassee before and after its passage, as well as throughout the bill’s debate. Their efforts grew as HB 1557 made its way through House committees and on Feb. 7, when DeSantis first publicly signaled his support for the bill.

Speaking with press, the governor – who is up for re-election in November – said that school personnel who have conversations with students about their gender identity was “entirely inappropriate,” noting that in some schools youth have been told “don’t worry, don’t pick your gender yet.”

He added that “I don’t think that’s happening here in large numbers.”

“Schools need to be teaching kids to read, to write,” DeSantis said. “They need to teach them science, history. We need more civics and understanding of the

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

U.S. Constitution, what makes our country unique, all those basic things.”

With support for HB 1557 growing in Tallahassee, D.C. responded. The Biden administration denounced it the following day.

“Every parent hopes that our leaders will ensure their children’s safety, protection and freedom,” a spokesperson for the White House shared Feb. 8. They noted the legislation “is designed to target and attack the kids who need support the most – LGBTQI+ students, who are already vulnerable to bullying and violence just for being themselves.

“Across the country, we’re seeing Republican leaders take actions to regulate what students can or cannot read, what they can or cannot learn, and most troubling, who they can or cannot be,” the spokesperson continued. “This is politics at its worse, cynically using our students as pawns in political warfare. At every step of the way, Republicans have peddled in cheap, political attacks, instead of focusing on the issues parents, students, and teachers care about.”

President Joe Biden’s condemnation came next.

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“I want every member of the LGBTQI+ community – especially the kids who will be impacted by this hateful bill – to know that you are loved and accepted just as you are,” he shared Feb. 8. “I have your back, and my administration will continue to fight for the protections and safety you deserve.”

IN THE HOUSE

B

y Feb. 17, the bill moved past the Florida House Judiciary Committee and was given its first reading. House Democrats – including the chamber’s two openly LGBTQ representatives, Orlando’s Carlos Guillermo Smith and St. Petersburg’s Michelle Rayner – mounted their defense from the floor.

In the hours-long session, lawmakers submitted dozens of amendments to remove what Equality Florida deemed “the most dangerous components of the legislation.” Among their efforts, Rayner moved to eliminate the portion referring to gender identity and sexual orientation from the bill.

“LGBTQ people are a normal, healthy part of this world. I am normal. I am healthy. And I am part of this world and I am a part of this

CONTINUED ON PG. 28 | uu |

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| uu | Parental Rights?

FROM PG.27

chamber,” Rayner told her fellow representatives.

“LGBTQ folks are parents, students, teachers ... I don’t know if any of you have been in a place where you were not wanted or seen. I have been in this place and unfortunately many times in this chamber, I have felt like I have not been wanted or seen,” she continued. “So I’m asking my colleagues … especially those who have members of their family who are LGBTQ – I am asking you, I am pleading … you’re voting against me and Rep. Smith’s humanity and who we are and that’s the message in itself.”

Smith agreed, noting that the Florida Department of Education would be “in charge of making sure that we keep vulnerable LGBTQ youth safe.” Late last year, under DeSantis, it removed an LGBTQ Resources Page containing anti-bullying information for parents, educators and youth from its website.

“I think what they did is appalling,” Smith noted. “I think we need to commit to making sure that we protect all students and explicitly commit to protecting LGBTQ youth. I don’t trust the Department of Education to do that.”

“Republican members of the legislature rejected efforts to narrow the bill and mitigate the harm it inflicts on LGBTQ people” throughout the debate, Wolf explains. More than 10 amendments failed in the House, though one authored by HB 1557’s chief sponsor that could have potentially outed LGBTQ students to their parents was withdrawn.

Harding’s amendment would have required principals to inform parents of their children’s LGBTQ status within six weeks of learning how they identified. After public backlash, he said in a statement it was withdrawn “to focus on the primary bill that empowers parents to be engaged in their children’s lives.”

“Those lawmakers heard the anti-LGBTQ rhetoric being espoused by the bill’s supporters and chose to stand with them instead of their LGBTQ constituents,” Wolf says. “It’s clear that the political agenda of this governor and his allies is one of eliminating inclusive classrooms, muzzling teachers, censoring speech and policing Floridians

28

FAITH & ACTION: Rev. Jakob Hero-Shaw (L) speaks out in Tallahassee with Sen. Shevrin Jones. PHOTO BY MIMA HERO-SHAW in every aspect of our lives while refusing to address urgent crises our state is facing.”

HB 1557 passed the House without a single Democrat’s vote Feb. 24, though it did so without the support of every Republican in the chamber.

“This bill is so extreme that it inspired a rare rebellion within House GOP ranks as seven Republican lawmakers broke with leadership and opposed passage,” Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith shared afterwards.

“The Florida Senate should follow their lead and reject this extreme legislation.”

IN & OUTSIDE OF THE SENATE

T

he Florida Senate advanced HB 1557 not long after its passage in the House. In a 12-8 vote, with one Republican joining Senate Democrats, the body’s Appropriations Committee moved the bill to the floor.

Its movement prompted action throughout the state. Student protests were held across Florida March 3, first promoted as the

“Don’t Say Gay Walkout.” They were led by 17-year-old Flagler Palm Coast High School student Jack Petocz.

Petocz is the founder of Recall FCSB, a student-led organization “working to empower youth to act and vote against bigotry within the Flagler School Board” in Flagler County. He also serves as a political strategist for Gen-Z for Change, a coalition of more than 500 creators and activists.

“Over 500 students from my school joined thousands of other concerned youth statewide to demonstrate their constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom to protest,” Petocz shared that evening. “Students waved pride flags and stood together, showing the politicians peddling bigotry that we will not be silenced.”

More than 100 students rallied in Tallahassee as well, joined by Equality Florida and others.

“Those who will be most impacted by this dangerous piece of legislation – Florida students – mobilized by the thousands to walk out of class and demand a stop to the Don’t Say Gay bill,”

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

the organization reflected. “Their courage and resilience is to be applauded as they stand tall in the face of unprecedented bigotry in the legislature that would muzzle their teachers and erase them from classroom discussion.”

Such efforts had a profound effect on the Senate floor – at least for Shevrin Jones, who became Florida’s first openly gay state senator in 2020. More than 10 proposed amendments failed throughout HB 1557’s debate, including his efforts to add language limiting any attempts to change a student’s gender identity or sexual orientation.

“I don’t think y’all understand how much courage it takes for these children to show up every day,” he told colleagues. Jones, a former teacher who came out in 2018 at 34, stressed the importance of having a safe space for students to discuss their sexual orientation and gender identity.

“As hard as this was, I needed to tell the truth to ensure I remind my colleagues that we should not be in the business of harming people,” he shared afterwards. “Whatever we do, do it in love and do no harm.”

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With opposition growing in the Senate, so too did HB 1557’s support. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Press Secretary Christina Pushaw drew ire on Twitter March 4 for likening the legislation to an “anti-grooming bill,” which Equality Florida denounced as an anti-LGBTQ trope.

“The bills that liberals inaccurately call ‘Don’t Say Gay’ would be more accurately described as an Anti-Grooming bill,” Pushaw wrote. “If you’re against the Anti-Grooming Bill, you are probably a groomer or at least you don’t denounce the grooming of 4–8-year-old children.”

“The governor’s spokesperson launched a horrific anti-LGBTQ tirade on Twitter, accusing any who don’t support this hateful piece of legislation of being complicit in a plot to assault children,” Wolf says. “She went on to accuse State Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith, the only openly-LGBTQ man in the Florida House, of being a pedophile because he dared to challenge her dangerous rhetoric.

“The governor owns that,” he continues. “This is the kind of hate that LGBTQ people are staring down in the face of this bigoted bill. And we will make sure voters remember in November.”

Watermark reached out to the governor’s office for comment, on HB 1557 and Pushaw’s words. The press secretary stressed that “the word ‘gay’ does not even appear in the legislation.”

“It’s a proposal to ensure VPK-3rd graders aren’t taught about age-inappropriate sexual topics – including all instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation, whether that’s gay or straight or anything else,” she says.

“Five, six and seven-year-old children should never be sexualized,” Pushaw continues.

“They are far too young to be learning about these topics in school. If a young child has any questions about sexuality or gender, it’s solely up to that child’s parent or guardian how they want to answer those questions.

“This is not an LGBT issue, and most Floridians – gay or straight – are in favor of child safeguarding and agree with the concept of parents’ rights,” Pushaw stresses, reiterating that the bill “does not single out any sexual orientation or gender identity – it applies to ALL discussion of sex and gender in grades VPK-3.”

As for her tweets, she adds that DeSantis has never referred to HB 1557 “as an anti-grooming bill or used that term. It was my personal

account and I was tweeting off work hours. The governor in his statements about this legislation, has emphasized the importance of parental rights and making sure all instruction in our schools is developmentally appropriate.”

More than 60 LGBTQ-affirming people of faith also assembled at the Capitol in opposition to the bill March 7 as debate continued, representing multiple denominations. They held prayer services with the public, met with lawmakers and urged them to vote against the legislation.

MCC Tampa, which celebrated 50 years of serving Tampa Bay’s LGBTQ community last year, was among the organizers.

“We knew that the bill was likely to pass, but we stood together in powerful solidarity,” Senior Pastor Rev. Jakob Hero-Shaw says. “We were a united voice of reason and voice of love in the face of homophobia and transphobia.

“I worry for the health and safety of kids who will feel they aren’t able to confide in teachers,” he continues. “I worry about the children of LGBTQ parents who will feel that they can’t speak the reality of their lives at school. Classrooms need to be safe spaces for all students, not just straight students who have a mom and dad at home.”

HB 1557 passed in the Senate March 8, with two Republicans joining every Democrat in voting against it. Equality Florida noted that more than 600,000 emails were sent and nearly 60,000 phone calls were made to lawmakers in opposition of the legislation, in addition to the hundreds of people who drove to Tallahassee.

“We are grateful for Democrats in the Florida Legislature who showed up for us every step of the way, especially our LGBTQ lawmakers,” the organization shared. “And we salute the GOP lawmakers who broke with GOP leadership by voting against this bill.”

Florida’s only statewide-elected Democrat – Nikki Fried, Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services – also condemned the measure. She called the bill “an international embarrassment to our state.”

“Because the governor and the legislature won’t say it, I will: this kind of hate and discrimination has no place in Florida,” Fried said in a statement. “To Florida’s LGBTQ community: you are not alone, you are beautiful the way you are and you are so loved. Please know that

SPEAKING UP: School Board Member Caprice Edmond at St. Pete’s “OK to Say Gay” rally March 12. PHOTO BY KIM CROMWELL we will never stop fighting for a better world for you.”

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist weighed in as well. He currently represents Florida’s 13th congressional district and like Fried, hopes to unseat DeSantis and become Florida’s next governor this year.

“The disgraceful and unnecessary ‘Don’t Say Gay’ legislation will cause irrevocable damage to the LGBTQ+ community and harm Florida’s children,” he says. “It has no place in this great state. Period.

“I stand shoulder to shoulder with LGBTQ+ folks across the state, and as governor, I’ll fight so the entire LGBTQ+ community feels loved and welcomed,” Crist continues. “If Governor DeSantis can’t do the same, he’s unfit to serve as governor of the Sunshine State.”

O

AN UNCERTAIN IMPACT

nce signed into law, “Parental Rights in Education” will go into effect July 1, leaving LGBTQ advocates, organizations and individuals throughout Florida with more questions than answers.

It’s something Equality Florida addressed during a virtual “Free To Say Gay” Town Hall March 9 after HB 1557’s passage in the Florida Legislature. Executive Director Nadine Smith welcomed Public

Policy Director Jon Harris Maurer and Director of Transgender Equality Nikole Parker, as well as Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith and Jack Petocz to reflect on its passage.

“The biggest message we want you to take away from all of this is that the fight is definitely not over,” she shared. “We’re preparing legal strategies that we have to take this to court and we are working with allies to begin the push to repeal this.”

In the meantime, however, openly gay teacher Kevin Hanna says “this makes my job harder.”

The Orange County educator watched HB 1557’s path through the legislature with particular interest as he teaches second grade.

“I saw Christina Pushaw’s tweet about protecting four- to eight-year-olds from grooming, and I teach eight-year-old students,” he says. “I thought, ‘so this is about me.

Okay, great.’ I’m teaching kids that are seven, eight years old and this is my 12th year. These are the kids I have in class all day.

“This is a direct attack,” Hanna continues. “It makes my job harder because I have to now keep things in the back of my head. I’ll have to come to work every day and decide, ‘Is there going to be a day that I put my foot down and fight to hang rainbow flags everywhere, or is today a day that I shut up and hide?’

It makes everything about my job more mentally taxing.”

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

Pinellas County School Board Member Caprice Edmond, a former teacher herself, shares Hanna’s concerns. The St. Petersburg resident was elected to the school board in 2020 and spoke out against HB 1557 during St. Petersburg’s “OK to Say Gay” rally March 12.

“I think the bill is unnecessary,” she says. “I taught third grade, and as an educator there was never a point where I instructed about sexual orientation, which is highlighted in the bill. Educators go to school and obtain degrees so they have the qualifications to teach and handle whichever topic may come their way appropriately.

“I think the bill causes harm,” she notes. “We should make sure that all students feel safe and affirmed.

LGBTQ youth experience a lot of challenges in life, and all students deserve a high-quality education.”

LGBTQ organizations throughout the state have also watched the legislation advance, like the Orlando Youth Alliance.

The nonprofit has provided safe spaces for LGBTQ youth since 1990, also overseeing the Seminole and Lakeland Youth Alliances.

“It’s extremely unfair of the Republican-controlled House and Senate to put forth something like this, and of the governor to support it,” CEO Michael Slaymaker says, “but I’m glad to see students

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around the state walk out and show protest. I hope they do more of that.

“We have to look at the populations this is actually going to affect, obviously LGBTQ youth are the main target of this – but I look at the teachers as well,” he continues.

“What a minefield this is creating for them with ‘I can’t say that, I can’t say this.’ Their jobs are difficult enough. We should be encouraging more wonderful teachers to join classrooms to educate our youth, not the opposite.”

Slaymaker hopes the LGBTQ community “doesn’t get sad, but instead gets mad. Remember that the bill says ‘sexual orientation,’ it doesn’t say ‘homosexuality.’

Heterosexuality is a sexual orientation, so I hope that same-sex parents out there are talking to their attorneys and preparing lawsuits should their school districts talk about heterosexuality being the family norm. They should sue.”

Whatever comes next, Equality Florida’s message remains clear. “To LGBTQ young people: know that you are loved. That you are valued,” Wolf says. “We will never stop fighting for you, because you are worth fighting for.”

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona also addressed LGBTQ Floridians in a statement March 8, reiterating support for LGBTQ youth from the Biden administration.

“Parents across the country are looking to national, state, and district leaders to support our nation’s students, help them recover from the pandemic, and provide them the academic and mental health supports they need,” Cardona said. “Instead, leaders in Florida are prioritizing hateful bills that hurt some of the students most in need.

“The Department of Education has made clear that all schools receiving federal funding must follow federal civil rights law, including Title IX’s protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” he continued. “We stand with our LGBTQ+ students in Florida and across the country, and urge Florida leaders to make sure all their students are protected and supported.”

“Our fight continues,” Equality Florida adds.

For more information about Equality Florida and to take action in the organization’s fight against HB 1557, visit FreeToSayGay.org and EQFL.org. Visit RegisterToVoteFlorida to check your voter registration and more.

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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Aja LaBeija on authenticity, ‘Drag Race’ and Tampa Pride

A

Ryan Williams-Jent

JA LABEIJA IS HAVING A BALL. Literally.

A member of the Royal House of LaBeija, the drag family known for its presence in the ballroom community, the entertainer recently returned to the drag and ballroom scenes after a professional hiatus.

LaBeija first received national acclaim for appearing on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” She competed on the show’s ninth season in 2017 and returned for “All Stars” season three in 2018, and has released two full-length albums and three EPs since.

She also came out as transgender last year, detailing her battle with gender dysphoria.

“I am ready to be in the skin I was meant to be in,” she explained.

“I am ready to be affirmed.” It’s a journey that has helped the entertainer fully embrace every aspect of her artistry.

LaBeija will highlight her authenticity on stage at Tampa Pride March 26, headlining Pride at Night with fellow “Drag Race” alum Kandy Muse. She’ll also serve as a special guest judge of the ballroom event Vivica’s Pink Secret at The Cuban Club March 25.

Watermark spoke with LaBeija ahead of Tampa Pride about living authentically, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and more.

WATERMARK: HOW HAS YOUR ARTISTRY EVOLVED OVER THE YEARS?

AJA: I feel like I probably have one of the most complex drag and artistic evolution stories. Now I’m doing drag as performance again, but there was a time where I stopped and I was doing random things filling in the gaps and figuring myself out. As an artist, pretty much any art form that I’ve ever done has always evolved with me as a person. So if things in my life are changing, my artistry is changing.

My artistry, especially drag and music out of all my mediums, are sort of like mood rings, so if I’m having a great year it’s going to project in my artistry.

If I’m having downtime or if I’m not feeling well, it’s going to show.

There are different ways of interpreting emotion into performance, and I think that my evolution of my CONTINUED ON PG. 33 | uu |

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artistry has really shown my ups and downs as a person.

SOME OF THAT WAS CAPTURED ON “DRAG RACE.” WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THOSE EXPERIENCES?

I’ve always been a natural born hustler, so I’m just super “business, business, business!”

I sort of had this way to navigate business before making television appearances, especially “Drag Race.” I think being able to add being a reality TV star under my belt changed a lot of what I think about the media and about television and unscripted television at that.

It made me more of a conscious artist and made me realize that now millions of people watch everything that I do and say, but not necessarily in a way where I should hide myself.

If anything, the pressure is on to be myself, because people are watching and you should always have that influence of authenticity – so when people see you, they’re not necessarily, “I want to be like Aja,” but “seeing Aja be herself makes me wants to be myself.”

WHAT SURPRISED YOU THE MOST ABOUT THAT?

What really surprised me post”Drag Race” was realizing how fickle consumers are. I realized that you can’t really do your art just for other people, you have to find your niche. You have to find your crowd and the people who are going to support you, because you can’t make everyone in the world love you.

So what I really learned was to just find where I belong and stick to it, and to try not to push any particular fans that I have away for any reason. For example, being known for doing drag, especially after my “All Stars” run, in a modest way I became very popular amongst the contestants of the franchise. And I became so known for drag that when I started to try to experiment in other art forms, there were very mixed reviews, because there were people who felt like they wanted me to only do drag and only do lip sync performances.

But there were people who were excited for everything else that I had to offer.

WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?

It was the beginning of me building my own niche and finding

my own crowd, instead of relying on just the crowd of “Drag Race.”

Because at the end of the day, “Drag Race” is us, the contestants, but we are not “Drag Race.” We are our own people and it’s possible for someone to be a fan of the show and not be a fan of us. So we really do have to create our own fan base for survival and we have to create our own business.

These are the things that nobody’s tells you before, so you go in and people think, “Oh, I’m just gonna be popular and I’m gonna ride on it.” But I always say that “Drag Race” is on a big high right now – because there are literally like 60 editions, I can’t keep up – but one day, it won’t be around anymore. And there will be people who have been on the show who have not yet branched out with their career, and they might be in trouble.

was challenging. It’s really hard as an artist when you’re critical of yourself. If you have a million people watching you, 500,000 of those people are like, “f**k you,” and the other half are like, “yay!”

I don’t care what anyone says, it’s really hard to block it out sometimes. That’s just a human thing. I was very aware of both the positive and the negative responses to everything that I was doing and going through at the same time. But I think that what

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR THEM?

feeling insecure about my art, but I was feeling insecure about my gender – and for whatever reason, it was hard for me to disassociate gender living from gender performance.

I felt like I had to perform my gender just to be my gender. It was just me figuring it out and in 2018, I came out as nonbinary to set the tone for what I was going through, but I think that I’ve kind of always known that I wanted to live my life as a trans woman and affirm that. I think that the struggle that I was having was just feeling that if I were to live my life as a woman, people would just think I was in drag, that I wasn’t really a woman. It was sort of like a gender dysphoria thing that was happening and I think a lot of people didn’t understand that.

HOW DID YOU ADDRESS IT?

I sort of pushed myself into a box where I made myself extremely butch.

I say while you I grew out a beard have the platform and literally started and you have the doing OnlyFans visibility, f**king as a male. Just to go for it. Extend push this idea that your arms and do I’m not going to everything that perform my gender you’ve possibly ever for anyone. I don’t wanted to do. Don’t regret it because it let the fear of it not made me realize later being received by AUTHENTIC ACT: Aja LaBeija. PHOTO VIA SPECTRUM TALENT AGENCY, INC. down the line, this just the fan base of is definitely what “Drag Race” scare I don’t want. It was you. People always really seeing Kylie say to me that “you [Sonique Love] on “All Stars” that have almost a million followers was important was that I just helped me – I didn’t really watch watching you,” but out of that, stuck to my guns and did what [season six] but I saw the last people who are uniquely just I needed to do for me. Because few minutes when she had won.

Aja fans in ratio to fans of “Drag if not, I wouldn’t even have Something about that moment Race” as a television show, it’s been here now. was very real. significantly lower. So, for me, YOU MENTIONED YOUR I like to appreciate my own fan WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON GENDER JOURNEY. WHAT CAN base and not single out anyone DRAG AS A WHOLE RIGHT NOW? YOU SHARE ABOUT THAT? who is a fan of me through “Drag I think that I ran away from the Race.” Now, that’s something that Gender has always been a idea of drag for the last few years I had to learn. really strange thing for me to because of my gender and because navigate. I actually came out I feel mainstream society doesn’t to my mom as trans at 18 and DO ANY PARTICULARLY NEGATIVE respect it. I feel like we think it started living my life as a trans OR POSITIVE INTERACTIONS WITH does, because “Drag Race” is so big woman then I stopped. I tried FANS STAND OUT TO YOU? now, but I feel like there’s a lot of to navigate gender a lot through After “All Stars,” 2019 was a people who think that drag is sort drag. Not purposefully, this is just very weird year because I was of just a joke or it’s just comical, a realization later on. both heavily praised and also like a parody. For me, drag is I understand now that received backlash for taking my not a parody. whenever people would critique own directions and navigating I don’t think I’d strike anyone my drag, sometimes that felt very my entire gender experience as a comedy queen. I have a very personal – not because I was in front of millions of people. It

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serious nature, like many other queens have been on “Drag Race,” like Roxxxy Andrews. There are a lot of pageant girls that tend to come off very serious. I’m a fashion girl, I come from the ballroom. I’m a runway girl, I’m a best-dressed girl, I’m all about my look and being a bitch. That’s, that’s just who I am. So this whole like comedy thing and making it seem like every drag artist has to sort of be one thing, I don’t agree with that.

WHY ARE YOU EXCITED TO PERFORM AT TAMPA PRIDE AND WHAT CAN FANS EXPECT?

Pride is so important, and you guys don’t just have Florida Pride, every major city has a Pride and I love that. I feel like that’s important for Tampa and for visibility. It’s important for everyone to see all different types of identities.

It’s hard to like describe how you you’re going to perform, but one thing I’ll say about me is that I’m always high energy. You can always expect a high energy performance from me, you can always expect a relatability and personality. I’m going to give you me – all of me – and I’ll make sure that you are glad you came and you have a good time. My goal is really to make people forget about everything in their life that’s just not going the way they wanted and give them a minute of euphoria to realize that “you’ve got this.” I love that idea of inspiring people.

WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT TAMPA PRIDE ATTENDEES TO KNOW?

I want the people reading this not just to attend Pride but come and have a good time! Take photos, take videos, make memories and realize that Pride is such a beautiful thing. It’s a privilege because a lot of places people can’t really be themselves, so I think it’s up to us to keep having bigger and bigger Prides. That inspires and influences the rest of the world.

As queer people, I feel like a lot of us are happier because we don’t let society’s rules dictate how we live our lives. So come out and have fun and make it fun for everybody else. Let’s just have a big gay time!

Aja LaBeija will judge Vivica’s Pink Secret: The Mini-Ball March 25 and co-headline Tampa Pride at Night March 26 at The Cuban Club, located at 2010 Avenida Republica De Cuba in Tampa. For more information, visit TampaPride.org.

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THEATER

Done Good

Dancer Jakob Karr brings his Orlando Fringe hit ‘Ain’t Done Bad’ back to Central Florida

(ABOVE)

FANCY STEPS:

Jakob Karr (R) is bringing his Orlando Fringe hit “Ain’t Done Bad” back to Orlando.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL CAIRNS

L

Jeremy Williams

AST YEAR, DANCER AND

choreographer Jakob Karr premiered his show, a coming out story told through music and dance called “Ain’t Done Bad,” at the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival and wowed critics and audiences alike.

“I had no idea what to expect and was really caught off guard and blown away,” Karr says. “I just wanted to make a clear, concise story through the art of dance. I had hoped people would like it, but I didn’t know anyone was going to love it and I didn’t know we were going to get such positive reviews. I was going in blind and left thrilled.”

Karr, who is originally from Orlando, has been dancing since he was 12 years old but most of America got their first look at Karr’s talent when he appeared on the sixth season of the popular dance

competition show “So You Think You Can Dance,” finishing the season in second place.

“The show came out when I was 14 and it became my immediate goal,” Karr recalls. “As soon as I was able to audition, I did. I auditioned on my 19th birthday; I flew to New Orleans for it. That was the first time that I actually felt like I was going to make it as a dancer. ... I had a wonderful time on the show and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I have nothing terrible to say about the show at all. It changed my life.”

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

Karr has danced around the world, travelling to Europe, Australia, Japan and India, and has showcased his talents with Cirque De Soleil, on the Broadway stage and at the Academy Awards. But “Ain’t Done Bad” was the first time the Orlando native has appeared at Fringe.

“I am ashamed to say, that as a kid growing up in Orlando, I had never heard of Orlando Fringe; I never went, I never knew anything about it,” Karr admits. “I didn’t know anything about it until I moved to New York and became a part of the theater community. It is something that is talked about a lot up here because it is a huge festival and it is so important to American theater, and a family friend texted me and said ‘None of you are working because COVID killed the theater industry, so maybe you should look into this,’ and she sent me the application link. I checked it out and question number one was ‘What is the name of your show?’ and I was like, what show?”

Karr sat down and, within an hour, wrote “Ain’t Done Bad.” “I had never done anything like that in my life,” he says. “I have never had a burst of creativity like that before, so I kind of took it to heart that if it poured out of me this quickly then I should try and do something with it.”

“Ain’t Done Bad” takes inspiration from the country song “Fancy” and — set to the music of openly gay country singer Orville Peck — tells the story of a gay man coming out, leaving his family and home in a small town and heading out to see what the big city has to offer him.

There he experiences gay culture, meets friends, has sex, goes on dates and falls in love.

“I feel like hearing the song ‘Fancy’ was one of my first ‘Oh God, I’m gay’ moments,” Karr says. “When I first heard the song I was like four or something and it kind of stuck with me my whole life. Within the course of a three-and-a-half-minute song you get this entire epic saga of a tale.”

“Fancy,” written and recorded in 1969 by Bobbie Gentry and covered

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in 1991 by Reba McEntire, tells the story of a girl whose mother gets her into prostitution to overcome poverty. Karr had been listening to Peck’s music, including his version of “Fancy,” over the year before sitting down to write “Ain’t Done Bad.” “I was listening to it and thinking what if this was seen through the lens of a young man in the south who is just trying to make it and find love rather than a young woman who her mother is making her a prostitute,” Karr says. “I didn’t want to take it super direct. It was very inspired by the air of what that song meant to me, as well as Orville’s music.”

Karr talked with friends about what it was like for them coming out and spoke with his mother about what she felt when she realized her son is gay and folded that into some of his own experiences to create the story behind “Ain’t Done Bad.” “It is certainly not autobiographical; it’s not a retelling of what I went through,” Karr says.

“But it is bits and pieces of my memories and some of the memories of the first people I dated who got kicked out of their homes as kids.

It’s about the best friends who were there no matter what and who knew their job was to pull us out of our dark hole. I wanted to pull things that I relate to.”

After making a huge splash at Orlando Fringe, Karr is bringing “Ain’t Done Bad” back to Central Florida with a run at the Renaissance Theater in Orlando April 21-May 1.

“It will be the same show we performed at Fringe from start to finish,” Karr says. “We discussed extending it and making it a little bit longer, but I feel like it is complete and adding anything to it you would have to water something down to build something else up and I really didn’t want to do that.”

One thing that will be different this go around, it won’t be the completely same cast.

“The original show’s cast were all very close friends of mine so I’m sad they all won’t be back with me this time around, because people have moved on to other things, but I’m excited because we will have some fresh energy,” Karr says. “Plus they’re all friends of mine too. A show that is this intimate, I want it to be people that I know and trust and have spent time with, that know me and know my fiancé and know my dog.”

“Ain’t Done Bad” plays at the Renaissance Theater in Orlando April 21-May 1. Tickets are $30 and are available at RenTheatre.com/ Aint-Done-Bad.

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community calendar

EVENT PLANNER ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT

CENTRAL FLORIDA

CENTRAL FLORIDA

Love is Love Pride Fest 2022

Vanjie Mateo, March 18, Southern Nights, Orlando.

407-412-5039; Facebook.com/ SouthernNightsOrlando

SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 12 P.M. ARTISAN ALLEY, DELAND

Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival, March 18-20, Central Park and Park Ave., Winter Park.

407-644-7207; WPSAF.org Miss Rose Dynasty Pageant, March 20, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Orlando. 844-513-2014; DrPhillipsCenter.org

PARTY ON

GARTH

Miss Glamorous 2022, March 21, The Plaza Live, Orlando. 407-228-1220; PlazaLiveOrlando.org Noche Latina w/ April Carrion, March 21, Southern Nights, Orlando.

407-412-5039; Facebook.com/ SouthernNightsOrlando Sincerely, Three: “Dear Broadway,” March 21, The Abbey, Orlando. 407-704-6103; AbbeyOrlando.com Steve-O: The Bucket List Tour, March 25, The Plaza Live, Orlando. 407-228-1220; PlazaLiveOrlando.org ABBA The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA, March 25, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Orlando. 844-513-2014; DrPhillipsCenter.org A&H: The Art Party, March 26, Art & History Museum, Maitland. 407-539-2181; ArtAndHistory.org

Garth Brooks’ only Florida stop on his worldwide stadium tour will be at Camping World Stadium in Orlando March 26. PHOTO COURTESY TICKETMASTER

“CATS,” March 29-April 3, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Orlando. 844-513-2014; DrPhillipsCenter.org Alan Cumming: Is Not Acting His Age, March 30, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Orlando. 844-513-2014; DrPhillipsCenter.org onePULSE Foundation|Topgolf’s “Celebrating Common Ground,” March 31, Topgolf, Lake Mary. 407-543-9138; onePULSEFoundation.org

Balance Tampa Bay Service Event: Porchfest, March 19, Historic Roser Park, St. Petersburg.

BalanceTampaBay.org

Eden Tampa: Girl Party, March 26-27, White Lie Ybor, Tampa.

714-504-8203; Facebook.com/ EdenEntertainmentGroup

Shuffle 4th Anniversary Celebration, March 19, Shuffle, Tampa. 813-450-3797; TampaShuffle.com

Tampa Pride Day Dance Party, March 26-27, The Ritz Ybor, Tampa. 813-248-4050; TheRitzYbor.com

Splash Down Pool Party, March 20, Hollander Hotel, St. Petersburg. 727-873-7900; HollanderHotel.com

Drag Queen Bingo benefiting King of Peace MCC, March 29, Punky’s Bar and Grill, St. Petersburg.

727-201-4712; PunkysBar.com

TAMPA BAY

“Tina: The Ultimate Tribute to Tina Turner,” March 20, Mahaffey Theater, 727-892-5767; TheMahaffey.com

“A Clockwork Orange,” March 17-27, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa.

813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org

“Disney’s Frozen,” March 23-April 3, The Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa.

813-229-7827; StrazCenter.org

Mythical Mornings: Skunk Apes and Sangria, March 27, Orange County Regional History Center, Orlando. 407-836-2030; TheHistoryCenter.org

“Titanic: The Musical,” March 18-20; 25-27, Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa. 813-922-8167; CarrollwoodCenter.org

“Your Songs: A Tribute to Sir Elton John,” March 24, The Palladium, St. Petersburg.

727-822-3590; MyPalladium.org

Orlando Shakes’ 33rd Season Valetine Gala, March 27, Orlando Shakes, Orlando. 407-447-1700; OrlandoShakes.org

St. Patrick Shamrock Show, March 18, The Garage on Central Ave., St. Petersburg.

727-235-9086; Facebook.com/ OFCLGaragePage

Garth Brooks, March 26, Camping World Stadium, Orlando. 407-496-6815; CampingWorldStadium.com

Tampa Pride Parade & Pride at Night, March 26, Throughout Ybor City, Tampa. 813-777-4832; TampaPride.org

29th Annual Art Fair, March 29, Hyde Park Village, Tampa.561-746-6615; Facebook.com/ HowardAlanEvents St. Pete Game Night, April 1, Inclusivitea, St. Petersburg. 727-321-7212; MetroTampaBay.org

SARASOTA “ABBA The Concert,” March 27, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota. 941-263-6799; VanWezel.org

DeLand Pride returns March 19 with its annual Love is Love Pride Fest at Artisan Alley. The day’s celebration will feature a Pride Marketplace, live entertainment, youth activities and more. Hosted by Miss DeLand Pride 2022, Aaliyah Nouveau, shows will run at Café DaVinci at 2, 4 and 6 p.m. The event is free to attend. For more information, go to DeLandPride.org.

National Miss Comedy Queen THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 8 P.M. DR. PHILLIPS CENTER, ORLANDO A Comedy Drag Extravaganza where drag queen contestants from around the country compete to be the next national titleholder. They will compete in comedic talent, outrageous evening gown and 60-second spokeswoman. Categories are judged on comedic value, creativity and quick wit. Tickets start at $65. This show is 18 and up only. For tickets, go to DrPhillipsCenter.org.

TAMPA BAY “Thank You For Being a Friend” Trivia and Bingo THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 8 P.M. CITY SIDE LOUNGE, TAMPA Join the Tampa Bay Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at their home bar for the organization’s revamped night of Trivia and Bingo! Featuring all-new questions about “The Golden Girls,” the evening will also boast themed drinks and menu items as well as fabulous raffle prizes with one-of-a-kind performances. $10 allows attendees to play 10 Bingo rounds. Learn more at Facebook.com/TampaSisters

Vivica’s Pink Secret: The Mini Ball FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 7 P.M. THE CUBAN CLUB, TAMPA Kick off Tampa Pride weekend Florida ballroom legend Yummy Prodigy and Tampa Pride as they present a night “guaranteed to bring out the rawness of ballroom and the sultriness of lace and lingerie.” Categories include Commentator v. Commentator, Beginners Runway, Bearded Lady Face, Hands Performance and more, emceed by Mother Tabu Ninja and featuring special guest judge Aja LaBeija with $1,000 in cash prizes. Learn more at TampaPride.org.

To submit your upcoming event, concert, performance, or fundraiser visit watermarkonline.com.

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

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2022 WINTER OPERA FESTIVAL

WITH RESULTS IN JUST 1 MINUTE!

g

Tosca

by Giacomo Puccini Playing now - March 19, 2022

The Daughter of the Regiment

t

by Gaetano Donizetti Playing now - March 18, 2022

The Pearl Fishers

by Georges Bizet OPENING WEEK! March 5-19, 2022

Attila

by Giuseppe Verdi March 12-22, 2022 All operas performed in the original language with translations above the stage.

tage.

2013, The Pearl Fishers. Production photo by Rod Milington.

Purchase Tickets at SarasotaOpera.org Box Office: (941) 328-1300 | 61 N Pineapple Ave., Sarasota, FL 34236

ure

ST. PETERSBURG 727-321-3854 TAMPA 813-232-3808 CLEARWATER 727-220-0550 NEW PORT RICHEY 727-494-7625

The Winter Opera Festival is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. Paid in part by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax revenues.

P S A B RO U G H T TO YO U BY WAT E R M A R K

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announcements

TAMPA BAY OUT+ABOUT

CONGRATULATIONS Tampa Pride celebrated this year’s grand marshals at their Grand Marshal Gala March 3. Read more and view photos from the event at WatermarkOnline.com.

The 2022 Watermark Awards for Variety and Excellence (WAVEs) were celebrated in Tampa Bay March 4.

View photos of each of the winners in attendance at WatermarkOnline.com.

Manatee Pride returned for its seventh celebration March 5, benefiting ALSO Youth for the first time in Manatee County. Read more and view all of Watermark’s photos at WatermarkOnline.com.

PFLAG Riverview celebrated its second year March 10.

Empath Health CEO Rafael Sciullo was awarded the Galen Miller Leadership Award by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization March 10.

Jason Fields and Channing Floyd were married March 12.

Shuffle celebrates four years in Tampa March 19.

CONDOLENCES Tampa Bay actor and advocate Joseph Parra died March 4 at 68. He will be dearly missed.

Ybor legend Bonnie Plumtree died March 8. A Celebration of Life will be held April 4 from 6-10 p.m. at Crowbar in Tampa, with donations going directly to her family.

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS Tampa Bay entertainer Viktoria Sommers, Britney-loving bear Nabil Harb, former St. Petersburg City Councilman Steve Kornell, “Talkin’ Pets” co-host Jon Patrick, Enigma staple Indrek Karner (March 17); Associate director of admissions for Stetson Law School Darren Kettles (March 18); St. Petersburg massage therapist Terrell Ray, former Love the Golden Rule office manager Jojo Wallace, Breaking Rules Publishing President Christopher Clawson Rule (March 19); Sarasota County Health Department’s Sue Westcott, Tampa Bay entertainer Stephanie Shippae, Hyde Park Antiques owner Randy Strebing, (March 20); Metro Inclusive Health’s Christian Klimas (March 22); former T Network leader Jennifer Kurzawa (March 23); Former Florida House Rep. Adam Hattersley, LGBTQ advocate Anastasia Hiotis, Righteously Outrageous Twirling Corps board member Eric Peak, Mad Hatters’ David Baptista (March 24); Strategic Property Partners’ Brian Gallaher (March 25); Tampa photographer John Kantor, former St Pete Pride board member Delores Ringgold, Former Gazette publisher Brian Feist, Lakewood Ranch Allstate owner Richard Plummer, St. Pete social media sensation Chris Gibson, WellCare Health Plans’ Ryan Menke (March 26); St. Petersburg chef Domenica Macchia, Tampa karaoke extraordinaire Normie Dunn, Sarasota retiree Donald Attanas, St. Pete realtor Aaron Hoffman (March 27); Tampa softballer Randal Spiller, Sarasota equality advocate Jen Drake, Tampa entrepreneur Art Smith, Nail tech extraordinaire Jaime Lucas Irizarry (March 28); Pinellas County Young Democrat Bobbi Lindaman, Watermark columnist Steve Blanchard (March 29); Florida LGBTQ Democratic Caucus Campaign Director Susan McGrath, Sarasota guitarist Jamie Gee (March 30).

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TAMPA PROUD: Tampa Mayor Jane Castor (L) accepts her WAVE Award March 11 from Watermark Managing Editor Ryan Williams-Jent at City Hall. PHOTO COURTESY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

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TEAM EFFORT: (L-R) Donna Knight, Eric Wilson and Peter Dus celebrate The Wilson Group’s WAVE Award win for Favorite Local Realtor March 11. PHOTO COURTESY ERIC WILSON

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BRUSHING UP: (L-R) Tampa Pride’s Trevor James, Debbie Wilson Cano Ducko and Alex Barbosa hand out complimentary Wet brushes to attendees of the Grand Marshal Gala March 3 at the Hilton Tampa Downtown. PHOTO BY RYAN WILLIAMS-JENT

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PAWESOME PAIR: Johnny Boykins (L) and Blaine Lawson enjoy Sunday Funday at Dog Bar March 13. PHOTO BY RYAN

WILLIAMS-JENT

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WON’T BE ERASED: Equality Florida tables at the Gulfport Peace, Love & Pride Festival March 13.

PHOTO COURTESY EQUALITY FLORIDA

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TEAM QUEEN: (L-R) Rockell Blu, Evonka Rump, Beneva Fruitville and Alexis De La Mer drop by Watermark’s booth at Manatee Pride March 5. PHOTO BY RYAN

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WILLIAMS-JENT

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RED HOT: Tony Pullaro (L) and Josh Reed rep Red Mesa’s multiple WAVE Award wins at the Tampa Bay party May 4 at Metro Inclusive Health. PHOTO BY DYLAN TODD

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SAY GAY: (L-R) Stonewall Democrats of Pinellas County President Mhariel Summers, VP Bianca Goolsby and Secretary Kat DeNomme march in St. Petersburg’s OK to Say Gay rally March 12.

PHOTO COURTESY STONEWALL DEMOCRATS

watermark Your LGBTQ News Source.

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announcements

CENTRAL FLORIDA OUT+ABOUT

CONGRATULATIONS Orlando Shakes, in partnership with UCF, raised $13,967.24 from the patrons of its December run of “A Christmas Carol” for the Greater Orlando Performing Arts Relief.

CONDOLENCES Paul Wyche, One Orlando Alliance board member and chair of its governance committee, passed away Feb. 28.

Paul was an amazing soul, a mentor to many and a true ally of the LGBTQ community. He will be missed.

2

Marquis Trice, a former HIV tester with the LGBT+ Center Orlando who worked for Advent Health, passed away March 5. Friends and family shared stories on social media about Marquis’ unmatchable kindness, strength and sense of humor. He will be missed.

Eva Fajardo, a Central Florida mental health counselor for more than 35 years and the Peer Support Space’s founding board president, passed away March 13. Eva is remembered for her loving, tender and compassionate spirit. She will be missed.

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COVID TESTING SITES Orange County and the City of Orlando have four COVID-19 testing sites: Barnett Park, located at 4801 W. Colonial Dr.; Econ Soccer Complex, located at 8035 Yates Rd.; South Orange Youth Sports Complex, located at 11800 S. Orange Ave.; and Camping World Stadium, located at 1 Citrus Bowl Place. All four locations are open 7 days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or until capacity is reached. All locations are all offering Molecular PCR and Rapid Antigen (both nasal) tests at no cost. No appointments are necessary but online pre-registration is required. Go to PatientPortalFL.com to pre-register.

LOCAL BIRTHDAYS Skincare genius Tabor Winstead (March 17); Central Florida recruiter Charles Elliott (March 18); Miga Made creator Evan Miga, ABM Orlando’s Sheila Block (March 19); Chair of the SemDems Lynn “Moira” Dictor, JM Best Entertainment owner John Best, Central Florida performer William Bruce, Full Circle Healthcare Solutions President/CEO Alex Rey Cardona (March 20); Orange County Sheriff’s Office LGBTQ Liaison Brandon Ragan, Orlando performer Chris E. Mistery (March 21); Orlando dancer Tia Kadena (March 22); Miss GayDayS 2019 Twila Holiday aka Joshua Michael Patrick Huntington OrsiniCollins, Channel 13 News IT Director Ian Michael (March 23); Southern Nights Orlando showgirl Chevelle Brooks, Orlando nurse Christopher Milliron (March 24); BizzyNate Creative owner Nate West (March 25); VarieTEASE dancer Megan Boetto, Bowled Over Promotions’ Lisa Brown (March 26); Olde Town Brokers realtor Jay Wood, Orlando dancer Brittainy A. Derden, Orlando counselor Chad Brown, Naked Eye Studio’s John Caroll (March 27); New Church Family of Daytona Beach’s Jerry Corlis (March 28); Gay Officers Action League Central Florida president Grace Peek-Harris; Orlando actor Jon Jiminez (March 29).

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GRACIOUS HOST: The staff of the Renaissance Theatre Company celebrate their WAVE awards after hosting Watermark’s 2022 Central Florida WAVE party March 3. PHOTO BY HAZEL JANDIK

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SISTER, SISTER: Florida Rep. Anna V. Eskamani (L) with her twin sister Ida V. Eskamani commemorate the end of the 2022 legislative session with a family photo in Tallahassee March 11. PHOTO FROM ESKAMANI’S FACEBOOK

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COMMUNITY LEADERS: Peer Support Space’s (L-R) Andres Acosta Ardilla, Yasmin Flasterstein and Dandelion Hill out doing amazing work in Central Florida March 13.

PHOTO FROM ARDILA’S FACEBOOK

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FIGHTING FOR OUR RIGHTS: Florida Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith packs up and heads back to Orlando from his Tallahassee office March 14 as the 2022 legislative session wraps up. PHOTO FROM

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SPORTS DAY: Members of the Central Florida Softball League gather at Savoy in Orlando March 13.

PHOTO FROM AGAGNINA’S FACEBOOK

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BIRTHDAY BOY: (L-R) Brandon Bracale-Llewellyn , Divine Grace and Michael Wanzie at Wanzie’s 65th Birthday Roast at Savoy in Orlando March 6. PHOTO BY DANNY GARCIA

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COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS: Leaders from Contigo Fund, Divas in Dialogue, RISE Initiative and more celebrate with Watermark at the 2022 Central Florida WAVE party at Renaissance Theatre in Orlando.

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PHOTO BY HAZEL JANDIK

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MAKING COFFEE: (L-R) Emily Rankin, Von Coven and Fred Schneider III roast coffee beans for a cause at Breyting Community Roaster in DeLand March 14.

PHOTO BY JEREMY WILLIAMS

GUILLERMO SMITH’S FACEBOOK

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45

WEDDING BELLS

Miguel Fuller and Abe Gadikian from St. Petersburg, Florida

WEDDING DATE:

Jan. 22, 2022

OFFICIANT:

Holly O’Connor

DESIGN:

John Campbell Weddings

PHOTO/VIDEO:

Ryan McGibbeny Photography & Films

VENUE:

The Current Hotel

PHOTO BY RYAN MCGIBBENY PHOTOGRAPY & FILMS

FLORAL DESIGN:

Florist Fire Design House

DJ:

Chris Cruise

CAKE:

The Artistic Whisk

HAIR/MAKEUP:

Glow By Natalia Barlow

AV:

The Production Crew

RENTALS:

Kate Ryan Event Rentals

AFTER PARTY DESSERTS:

Gigi’s Cupcakes

GROOM ATTIRE:

Milano Exchange

GROOMSMEN ATTIRE:

Suit Shop

W

Tiffany Razzano

HEN RADIO HOST MIGUEL FULLER

and Abe Gadikian first met in 2016, they were both seeing other people. But the attraction was always there, they say.

“Now that we go back and look at pictures, it’s really funny because we always would gravitate towards each other in group photos,” Fuller says.

By 2017, both of their relationships ended and to get over his break-up, Fuller embarked on what he referred to as his “summer of single.” In August of that year, he planned a Labor Day party in his new townhome. He had some projects to finish and hired Gadikian, who owns a painting company, to paint his living room.

While Gadikian and his business partner painted the room, Fuller went to brunch with a group of friends.

“And several cocktails later they’re all back at the townhome,” he says.

Worried that a group of tipsy people might mess up the wet paint, he stopped them as soon as they walked through the door. “I was like, ‘Go on the couch. I will play bar. I’ll do whatever you want. But go to the couch and stay there, and don’t touch anything,’” he says.

They didn’t sit still on the couch for long, Gadikian recalls. They peppered him with questions, including: “Which one of us would you date?”

As Fuller walked him to the door later that afternoon, Gadikian said, “It would probably be you.” That evening, they Ubered to a going away party for a mutual friend and Gadikian asked Fuller out on a date.

They went out to Engine No. 9 in St. Petersburg for their first date and two weeks later, Hurricane Irma made its way to Tampa Bay. To get out of the storm’s path, Fuller planned to go to Panama City, where he lived previously, and invited Gadikian along.

What would normally take six hours of driving became a 15-hour trip. By the time they got out of the car, they decided to make their relationship official. Then, by the end of November, Gadikian moved in with Fuller.

Though their relationship moved quickly at first, the reason for their longevity is because of the growth they shared. “We grew. We grew individually and as a couple together,” Gadikian notes. “I learned things from him; he learned things from me. I’m not talking about, you know, how to screw in a lightbulb; I’m talking about life stuff.”

Though they’d talked about maybe getting married one day, Gadikian’s proposal took Fuller completely by surprise. “I think one of my favorite things about our engagement is that I got him. He had no idea that it was coming. None,” Gadikian says.

Fuller adds, “And I’m a nosy person. I’ve got my hands and ears in everything.”

The engagement happened Oct. 9, 2020 during a segment on “The Miguel & Holly Show” which he co-hosted in Tampa Bay for nearly seven years until last month. During “Headphone Karaoke,” where he and his co-hosts sang songs without music, a sign was unfurled from the roof of the building in front of his window. It read, “Hey you, look down here.”

That’s when his show co-host and producer started acting strange, suggesting he look out the window.

When he looked outside, Gadikian was on the ground waving at him.

“I was like, wait, what’s going on?”

Fuller says.

His show co-host told him to put the headphones back on. When he did, an audio recording of Gadikian reminiscing about their relationship started. When it ended, everyone in the room told him to run downstairs.

“So I run downstairs and when I walk out of the building, Abe is there with all of our friends in Tampa/St. Pete, a lot of them that we hadn’t seen since March because of COVID,” Fuller says. “They’re all masked up, spread apart, hadn’t seen all these people and the emotion hit me of what was about to happen.”

With his boss pointing a microphone at them, Gadikian proposed. They spent the remainder of the show on the air, talking to Fuller’s mother and friends who called in.

As they began organizing their wedding, they decided to hire a wedding planner.

“My number one piece of advice for anybody that wants to do a wedding that’s not like a backyard barbecue or going to the courthouse, if you’re going to do a wedding with a ceremony at a venue, get a wedding planner,” Gadikian says. “It takes all of the stress out of it.”

The toughest part of the planning process for them was paring down their guest list from nearly 300 people to 165. They also required all guests to be vaccinated for the safety of attendees.

They hosted the event at The Current Hotel, as they “just wanted some simple, sophisticated elegance,” Fuller notes. “Living in Florida, we don’t do a lot of nice stuff. You’ll always find somebody in some flip flops or some shorts, and this was the one time I wanted everybody to feel glamorous.

“Especially for my mom,” he continues, “because where I come from, we never had nice weddings growing up. I wanted her to experience something where she felt very glamorous.”

Do you have an interesting wedding or engagement story you’d like to share with Watermark readers? If so, email the details to Editor@WatermarkOnline.com for consideration as a future feature on this page.

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